


Harustein

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Monster, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 19:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12091722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: In which Makoto is a werewolf, Haru is a mad scientist and Sousuke is a project that Haru created to help him with the housework.





	Harustein

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic I got finished in time for Sousuke's birthday! This one has been in my WIP folder for almost a year, so I guess Sousuke's birthday is now the time where I finish off old WIPs. Also, if any of you have read my MakoHaru fic 'Wish Upon a Dried Frog's Leg', you might recognise that I used some of the same mythical beings from that for this fic. I'm a creature of habit.

_...Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch..._

Haru's fingers moved so fast that he could barely see them as he thread the needle through the flesh, over and over again, drawing the two individual pieces together.

He should have had this body ready in time for the thunder storm, but there'd been so few of them lately and he wanted all the components to be as fresh as possible. So he'd kept them pickled until this morning, when the weather report told him there would be a summer storm in the evening. It was perfect, but it meant that he had to work quickly.

_...Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch..._

Nothing was going to be left down to chance. Except for the lightning, because he couldn't predict that. But the storms could be so powerful at this time of year that he'd be surprised if there wasn't at least a little lightning. And speaking of powerful...

Haru let one hand trail over the nearly-complete body of his project. He was wasting time, especially when every second counted, but he thought that he'd allow himself this one moment of weakness. He'd worked hard, after all.

_...Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch..._

It was almost time.

***

The storm had Makoto feeling skittish. It would be bad enough if it had come at any other time of the month, but why did it have to be so close to the full moon?

To make matters worse, he hadn't picked up any of his elixirs from Haru to calm the symptoms. Because Makoto... wasn't talking to Haru. He'd hoped that this might've deterred Haru from him intentions, but Haru remained as stubborn as ever. Once he'd set his mind to something, he was going to do it and nothing that anyone said or didn't say could stop him.

The Nanase household stank of death. Even from his own home, Makoto could pick up on it and it made him uncomfortable. He was a werewolf, his nose was more sensitive than Haru could ever imagine. And from what he'd been able to smell since this morning, he could tell Haru was getting his project on the move, ready for the exact storm that was making Makoto uncomfortable.

If Makoto went to Haru's house now, he couldn't be sure what he'd find there. But if he stayed here, then he was at risk of being unable to control himself when he transformed. And Makoto would not have a repeat of the harpy incident from last year. He hadn't been able to look Rei in the eyes for weeks after that.

So against his better judgement, Makoto set out. His ears were flattened close to his head as he hurried across the path that separated their two houses. He was already starting to transform, the hair was everywhere, but at least he wasn't on all fours yet.

The closer he got to the door, the worse the smell got. Something was dead in there. Several somethings that were about to become one something. And all of them should have been allowed to stay dead, undisturbed in... wherever Haru found their parts. Makoto hadn't asked. He didn't want to know.

A loud thunderclap.

Makoto darted through the door.

***

Haru was done!

He had to be done, because he had no time left. So he took a step back and admired the body on the slab in front of him. It was a good body. Better than the sum of its parts. Haru had only picked out the best of the best to make him. He would be worth the effort.

With that, Haru climbed up and pulled open the shutters that covered the roof above the slab. Outside the storm was brewing up a gale. Wind rushed through and swept Haru's hair in every direction, but he decided that it added to the mood. He got back down from the ladders and pulled the lever to raise the lightning rods, both of them attached to his subject's shoulders.

Now all he had to do was wait. Surely the storm would provide...

...light!

The sky lit up! And the storm was dead overhead now, so not even a few seconds later, the thunderclap followed behind it. But Haru wasn't focused on the noise. Instead he was focused on the slab, where lightning was coursing through the rods and into the body. It twitched about as life began to flow through it.

He'd done it! He'd succeeded!

“Haru!”

Makoto was standing at the other end of the room, panting heavily. His eyes were already that of a wolf. He was gone. Or he would be within the next few seconds, anyway. Because he'd been far too stubborn and hadn't come to Haru to pick up his monthly elixir like he should have done. Yet as long as he stayed back, away from the open shutters through which the moonlight shone into the room, they should be all right.

If only it wasn't for the tempting smell of dead flesh on the slab underneath those open shutters...

“Makoto, don't come any closer!” Haru called.

It was too late. Makoto darted over towards the body, reverting to all fours as soon as he was under the moonlight. The spell couldn't be broken now. Haru would lose the experiment that he'd worked so hard on if he didn't act fast.

So he pulled himself back up towards the shutters again, grabbed hold of them to pushed them back across as fast as he could against the beating wind. It would break the lightning flow, but maybe it would be enough. Below Haru, Makoto ripped out the wires attached to one of the shoulders, his fur standing up on end due to the static. A lesser man would be dead by now, but Makoto was too strong for his own good. Haru cursed him.

With all of Haru's might, he managed to get the shutter back across. It was closed. The moon was out of sight.

Beneath him, the smell of burning was almost overwhelming. He looked down to see Makoto collapse, slumped over the body that Haru had spent all day putting together.

This was going to take a lot of cleaning up...

***

When Makoto awoke, he was greeted by the familiar smell of Haru's sheets. Haru's home had a unique smell to it. Many of them, in fact. He was... a creative genius and had been running various experiments for as far back as Makoto could remember. Most werewolves avoided Haru's house like the plague. But without Haru, there was no way that Makoto could function as normal under the full moon.

Haru would always be Makoto's dearest friend. Even if his house smelled strange.

The distinct pong of death hadn't gone away either, although it had changed since last night. Was it last night? Makoto wasn't even sure how long he'd been out for. He tried to sit up, but that just sent a web of pain through his body.

“Agghh...!”

“Don't move. You're still recovering.”

Makoto didn't recognise that voice. Which was unsettling, because Haru didn't allow many people into his home unsupervised. He sat up to see...

...Oh god, Haru's experiment had been a success.

The man sat watching him from a chair at the other end of the room was covered in stitches. He was composed of all the parts that Haru had collected. As much as Makoto hated to admit it, Haru had clearly done a good job picking out the right parts. This man already looked as if he'd done several weeks in the gym, despite possibly only being born yesterday. The short, dark hair was purely for Haru's preference and Makoto knew that. They'd been friends long enough. But it was the eyes that were the most striking. They were mismatched. One was an almost greenish blue and the other was gold. Both of them pierced Makoto as they watched him from the other end of the room.

“Hi...” Makoto started, because he had to say something, “You're... Haru's project?”

“Sousuke,” the creation introduced himself as, “And you're Makoto.”

“Haru's mentioned me then,” said Makoto. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“He told me to keep an eye on you,” Sousuke said.

Makoto snorted; “He did, did he? What makes him think that I need that?”

“You took an electric shock that would have killed most people and you've been unconscious until now,” answered Sousuke.

“Okay, fair point. But you can tell him that I'm fine now. I just need... a little while to recover...” Makoto replied.

“Your recovery process will take several days,” Sousuke stated.

“Ugh... no one likes a know-it-all. Look, can you just go get Haru?” muttered Makoto.

“Very well,” Sousuke said. He got to his feet. Sousuke was... very tall; “I can tell that I'm making you uncomfortable.”

“No! Nooo... it's not that!” Makoto lied, “It's just... werewolves are... very sensitive and you... um, smell very dead...”

“But I'm not dead.”

Makoto couldn't tell if Sousuke was offended or not when he said that, but all the same, Sousuke did leave to find Haru. It meant that Makoto could be alone with his thoughts for a while, because Haru was in no hurry to get there. He stared at the ceiling and when the door did eventually creak open again, he didn't look over.

“You're unhappy with me,” Haru summarised, as he walked across to sit on the chair next to the bed.

“I told you this was a bad idea. But you didn't listen and now there's a... a man alive who didn't even exist before. Haru, what made you think this was a good idea?” Makoto replied.

A pause.

“Sometimes you just want to know what you're capable of,” said Haru, “And besides, my work keeps me busy, so it'll be nice to have someone to help out with the mundane tasks like keeping this place clean.”

“Hire a housekeeper!”

“That costs money.”

“What's to say that this... this Sousuke won't charge you once he learns he has rights?”

“I'm the one who's maintaining him. He can't exist without me.”

“Haru, that's... cruel,” Makoto mumbled, turning to look at him.

“Do you think so?” Haru asked, “I thought your stance was that he shouldn't exist at all.”

“But he does exist, no matter what I think about it. He's now a living being and deserves to be respected as such,” said Makoto.

“He'll be respected. But regardless, I do need to keep him here until he gets settled,” Haru replied, “I can't imagine it'd go very well if I let him loose into society just yet.”

“He'd certainly attract a lot of attention if we lived anywhere other than Iwatobi,” Makoto agreed, “Where did you even get those parts from? He looks like an athlete.”

“Remember the coach that crashed on the way to the swimming prelims last year?” Haru said, “It was very sad.”

“Yes, it _was_ very sad,” growled Makoto. He knew where this was going.

“All those fresh, healthy bodies... It was a shame for them to go to waste,” said Haru.

“I doubt their families would agree!” Makoto gasped.

“Serizawa, the gravekeeper, assured me that they'd never find out,” said Haru, “He's been running a side business selling parts to scientists for years.”

Sometimes there was just nothing Makoto could say. He lived in a crazy world full of people who apparently had no moral values. He looked at Haru, really looked at him, and knew there was nothing he could do to change his mind. Sousuke was alive now. There was no going back.

“Can I... have my elixir for next month?” he asked.

“Yes. I already have one prepared,” answered Haru.

And that was that.

***

Haru knew that it'd take Makoto a while longer to fully recover and that it'd be best for him to stay here while he did. He'd already contacted Makoto's family and they'd agreed that was for the best. Makoto hadn't been born a werewolf, he'd be turned at a young age. His family had never properly known how to care for him because of this and they trusted Haru to know how to do what was right for Makoto. Haru did know how to do what was right for Makoto. And sometimes he actually did what was right for him.

Besides, Haru reasoned to himself, Makoto would warm to Sousuke faster if made to endure his company for a while. Perhaps it was cruel to force them into each other's presence, but if they were both going to be part of Haru's life then they might as well learn to get along with each other.

Sousuke was currently polishing the top of the kotatsu in Haru's living room. As Haru watched him, he saw Sousuke's brow furrow and he could tell that a question was coming on.

“You want to know why you're doing this?” Haru prompted.

“Yes,” said Sousuke, without stopping from his work.

“Hygiene, mostly. People can get ill from dirty surfaces,” said Haru, “But also because it apparently makes the place look nice when we have company. I don't often have company, but since Makoto is staying, we might as well make the effort.”

“He doesn't like me...” Sousuke mumbled.

“Does that bother you?” asked Haru. He was genuinely intrigued by Sousuke's emotional responses, considering how little of Sousuke's existence he'd planned outside of the physical attributes.

“...Should it bother me?” said Sousuke.

“Only if you want Makoto to like you,” Haru replied.

“I... want Makoto to like me,” Sousuke decided, “He is your friend, so I want him to be my friend as well.”

“Good answer. In that case, when you're done here you can take him one of the dentastix I have in the cupboard in the kitchen. Those are his favourites,” said Haru.

“Dentastix?” checked Sousuke.

Haru nodded; “Dog treats.”

***

Makoto cursed himself as he gnawed on the dentastix bar, but his canine side just took over whenever he saw one. At least they helped keep his teeth in check if nothing else. Sousuke was watching him curiously from the corner of the room. Makoto shot him a frown.

“I don't question your diet,” he said.

“I'm sorry...” Sousuke replied.

Why did he have to look so dejected? Makoto sat up properly, wincing with the pain, before he set the half-chewed dentastix bar down on the side.

“No, I'm sorry. You've only been alive for such a short time and so far you've only been allowed to talk to such difficult people,” Makoto said.

“Are you difficult? I don't have a basis for comparison,” Sousuke pointed out.

“Haru and I are... probably some of the most difficult people, yeah,” replied Makoto, “Once you get out into town, you'll see that most people aren't like us.”

“He told me I wouldn't be going into town for a while,” Sousuke said.

“Forget what he says. As soon as I'm back on my feet I'm taking you,” promised Makoto, “You'll only get messed up if you just stay around the two of us for so long.”

“Very well. I would... like to go to town with you,” said Sousuke.

Makoto chuckled. It was a good thing Haru apparently hadn't taught Sousuke any slang yet. In completely different circumstances Makoto wouldn't mind going to town with Sousuke either.

***

Today saw first act of rebellion that Sousuke had committed against Haru. And it had only taken two weeks. Perhaps rebellion was one of the earliest things that people learned. Haru wasn't sure. It wouldn't have been fair to compare Sousuke's development to that of a child. He'd been created as a full grown adult, with a mind that functioned as such. How much of his previous lives minds impacted on that, Haru didn't know, but he had researched all of the components he'd used and their personalities hadn't been like that of Sousuke. No, Sousuke was unique.

He was also currently out in Iwatobi somewhere with Makoto. Against Haru's wishes. Both of them knew that was the case and yet they'd done it anyway.

Oh well. They'd come back when they needed him. They always did.

***

The best part about this was getting to watch Sousuke's eyes light up as he saw everyone and everything. He turned more than a few heads, but Iwatobi was generally an accepting place. The small seaside town had long been home to both humans and other creatures, so you saw all sorts here. Certainly Sousuke was seeing all sorts now.

“What are the ones that have wings instead of arms?” Sousuke asked.

“Those are harpies,” Makoto answered.

“And the one with the gills on his neck?”

“Siren. That's our postman, actually. Nice guy.”

“That person just appeared in a puff of smoke!”

“Genie,” Makoto answered, as he waved over to Kisumi, “He's friendly. Maybe a little too much so. Be careful what you wish for.”

“I see...” replied Sousuke, who clearly didn't see, “It's a lot to take in.”

“You'll get used to it. After a while they'll all start to seem normal or as close to normal as it gets,” Makoto assured, “Just take it slow. Haru and I are here if you have any questions.”

“I have so many questions,” said Sousuke.

“Then maybe you can ask some over lunch,” Makoto offered, “There's a place nearby that's werewolf-friendly. I'm sure they'd let you in as well.”

He led Sousuke to a small cafe. Sasabe, the human who owned the place, had probably seen every kind of monster over the years. He didn't even bat an eyelid when he served them, despite all of the obvious stitches on Sousuke.

“Haru's project was a success then?” Sasabe asked.

“Yeah. Now I'm just making sure he takes decent care of him,” replied Makoto.

“You're the right guy for that job,” said Sasabe.

After that, Makoto ordered himself a slab of meat, along with something that was actually cooked for Sousuke, then showed them both to a table. In the short time that Sousuke had been around, Haru had already taught him decent table manners, Makoto had noticed. Perhaps Makoto wasn't too happy with Haru's choices lately, but he did seem to be taking responsibility for Sousuke and that was all Makoto could ask for.

“How are you finding life so far?” Makoto asked, trying to ignore the smell of meat that wafted out from the kitchen.

“Better than death. But then I don't remember death,” replied Sousuke.

“I'd be more surprised if you did remember before you existed,” said Makoto. Then he asked something that had been on his mind since he'd first seen Sousuke, “So do you... have any memories from the people who make you up?”

“No,” said Sousuke, without hesitation.

There was no getting around it. Sousuke was an entirely new being. It was only fair that Makoto treated him as such.

“Then lets make sure you make plenty of new memories now that you're Sousuke,” Makoto concluded.

***

The two of them knew they were in trouble when they got back. Haru stared up at them, since they were both taller than him, and they glanced away like a couple of naughty schoolboys.

“I had been putting off introducing Sousuke to town until the beginning of autumn,” he said, “It's busy during summer. I didn't want to overwhelm him.”

“He was fine,” Makoto dismissed, “People weren't even that bothered by him.”

“That's not the point. It's the fireworks festival coming up soon,” Haru reminded.

“Yeah, and it's me you have to worry about more than him for that,” muttered Makoto.

“Fireworks festival?” Sousuke asked.

“It's an event they do every year because people hate animals,” said Makoto, who was more than a little biased, “They let off fireworks that explode in the sky in pretty colours. At least, I assume they're pretty. As a werewolf, I'm too busy hiding under a table to notice.”

“You don't like them?” Sousuke said.

“He can't deal with loud noises,” Haru answered, “I usually let him stay here with me during the festival, since I'm not interested in going either.”

There was part of Haru that... maybe would like to go someday. But he didn't want to hurt Makoto's feelings by saying s such. Besides, Haru wasn't a kid any more. There was plenty of work he could be getting done instead of watching lights in the sky. As Iwatobi's resident mad scientist, they needed him.

“But we'll deal with the fireworks festival when it happens,” Makoto dismissed, “For now, we're both tired, so let's get some rest.”

“Your beds are already made up. You're welcome,” Haru said.

With that, he let the two of them head away. Makoto to the guest room that might as well have been his room and Sousuke to what had previously been a guest room, but was now Sousuke's room. Haru got back to work cleaning out his pickling jars. After ten minutes, he heard the floorboards creak. Which told him that Sousuke had gone through to Makoto's room to talk with him.

This was turning into an interesting development.

***

The universe must have hated Makoto. He knew in his stomach that this was going to be the case, but he'd been hoping that he'd gotten it wrong. Yet as he looked through his lunar calendar, there was no avoiding it – this month's full moon fell on the same night as the fireworks festival. It was like a double-whammy of everything that drove Makoto's werewolf side into a frenzy. He buried his head into his pillows and moaned.

“What's wrong?” Sousuke asked, walking into the room with Makoto's breakfast on a tray.

He never asked if something was wrong, Makoto noted. Because he knew there was something that was wrong. It was all about figuring out what that something was.

“Just... werewolf stuff,” said Makoto.

He sat up and took the tray from Sousuke with a nod of thanks. It seemed that Haru had been cruel enough to send him up dry food this morning, but then Makoto knew that he'd had a lot of fresh meat lately. Haru was good at keeping his diet balanced.

“Tell me about werewolf stuff then. I can't help if I don't know,” Sousuke said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“No offense Sousuke, but I'm not sure you can help with this anyway,” Makoto admitted, “You know about the full moon, right? Haru must've explained that to you. That I turn into a wolf under it's influence. He gives me elixirs so I can control myself, even as a wolf, but it doesn't stop the transformation.”

“He's told me about that, yes,” said Sousuke, “He said that one of the reasons for my physical strength was so I could restrain you if need be.”

“Yeah, and the other reason is because he likes looking at you,” Makoto replied, “But anyway, there's a full moon during the fireworks festival, because of course there is. So I'm going to have to deal with all of my werewolf problems, plus the noise from those damn explosions making me skittish. It's going to be one hell of a night...”

“I'm sorry,” said Sousuke.

“Don't be. It's just one of those things,” replied Makoto, “Nothing you can do about it.”

***

When Sousuke came into Haru's lab to talk to him on the morning of the fireworks festival, it didn't surprise Haru too much. What did surprise him was Sousuke's request.

“I want to take care of Makoto during the fireworks festival,” Sousuke said.

Haru shrugged; “You can help me, of course. It'll do you good to get used to dealing with him when he's transformed, even if you'll be thrown in at the deep end that this is your first time experiencing it. Well, second time...” As Haru trailed off, he glanced at Sousuke's shoulder. He hadn't told Makoto about the damage, so not to make him feel guilty, but it was there all the same.

“No. I don't want to help you. I want to do this on my own,” said Sousuke.

“That seems reckless. Why would you want to do that?” Haru asked, raising an eyebrow at Sousuke.

“Because you want to go to the fireworks festival,” Sousuke said.

“I've not been for years,” Haru dismissed, “Taking care of Makoto is almost like my tradition.”

“That doesn't mean you don't want to go,” replied Sousuke.

“It would be a poor choice on my part to leave you with Makoto so unprepared,” Haru insisted.

“Then trust me that you've prepared me well enough,” argued Sousuke.

Haru turned to look at him. He was greeted by Sousuke's eyes, staring at him with a fiery determination that their two colours only amplified. There was no way that Haru was going to talk him out of this.

“...Very well. I trust you.”

***

Makoto was under the table well in advance. Might as well make it as easy on himself as possible, he reasoned. He already had a blanket over his head and next to him was a chew toy that would be destroyed before the end of the evening.

He heard footsteps coming down to the basement. They were too heavy to be Haru's, although he already knew who they belonged to from the smell. Makoto was starting to get used to the smell.

Sousuke sat down next to the table in silence. Perhaps Makoto should have let him stay that way, but he was already feeling too jittery to leave anything lie.

“Will Haru be down soon?” he asked.

“No. Haru won't be joining us,” said Sousuke.

“B-but... he always does this... I need him here,” Makoto mumbled. He pulled the blanket tighter over his head. What was Haru playing at?

“I asked him if I could do it instead,” Sousuke replied.

He sounded so... genuine. Makoto let go of the blanket and looked out, up at Sousuke. His face was filled with such concern. When had that happened...?

“Making it difficult for yourself if you want this to be your first full moon with me,” said Makoto.

“You told me that you're a difficult person anyway,” Sousuke reminded.

“Yeah. And now you have some basis of comparison. Since you've been into town enough times,” Makoto said.

“I think I still prefer difficult people,” replied Sousuke.

“I'm glad that you do...”

The night came in and with it came the hair. Makoto hated himself when he looked like this. It was all itchy and uncomfortable. If it was down to him, he wouldn't be wearing clothes at all, since they'd just get ruined anyway, but he didn't want to subject Sousuke to that. Not that Sousuke would probably have minded, but Makoto did. He lay on the ground all hairy and whimpering. His voice getting more canine as time went on.

He felt Sousuke's hand, reach out to stroke his head and it... comforted him. He nuzzled his head towards the hand, every dog instinct in his body wanting Sousuke to pet him. Some of the human instincts wanted the same thing.

“You can't do that once I'm transformed,” Makoto warned, “Even if I should be in control, I might get snappy.”

“I know,” replied Sousuke.

He kept up the stroking motion. Makoto didn't stop him.

***

There was a nice spot on the hill where Haru had often come with his grandmother when he was a child. It was usually quiet, but because it was such a good vantage point to watch the fireworks from, it was busy at this time of year. All the same, Haru had found somewhere that he could stand on his own without being bothered, at least for a while.

The smoke made it hard for a genie to sneak up on anyone. Teleportation had its drawbacks.

“Didn't expect to see you of all people here, Haru,” Kisumi said, joining him by the ledge.

“Surprise,” Haru replied.

He tried not to breath in until the pink, glittery smoke until had subsided, because it made him cough. Why did magic always have to be so flashy?

“What about Makoto? Is everything all right with you guys?” asked Kisumi, ever the gossip.

“Yes, of course,” said Haru, “But Sousuke wanted to keep an eye on him this time, so I'm taking the night off.”

The first batch of fireworks flew up into the sky and exploded loudly into an array of pretty colours. People oohed and aahed all around them. But Haru... actually flinched. It wasn't that he was scared of the fireworks, but he knew what effect they'd be having on Makoto right about now. When he recovered, Haru noticed that Kisumi was watching him and he scowled.

“I see those two around town together a lot,” Kisumi said, not commenting on Haru's behaviour, “They seem pretty close.”

“It was an... unplanned development. But yes, they are,” Haru agreed.

“Well, you and Makoto have similar taste,” said Kisumi.

More fireworks. More colours. More nervous Makoto...

“What's that supposed to mean?” Haru said.

“Exactly what it sounds like. Come on, Haru, I know you better than that. You made Sousuke the way you liked. Are you surprised that Makoto likes him as well?” replied Kisumi.

“I guess not,” Haru said.

Were there always so many fireworks? Haru gripped onto the ledge. He couldn't get the image of Makoto hiding under that table out of his head. This had been a bad idea...

...Kisumi's hand was on top of his. Haru jolted up and glared at him.

“You should go home,” Kisumi said.

“Don't tell me what to do,” grumbled Haru.

Kisumi clicked his tongue; “As much as I'd enjoy a jumpy Haru to mess with, it's no fun when I know you're acting this way because of how worried you are. Go to Makoto and Sousuke, Haru.”

“I could wish you away,” Haru retorted.

“Some guy in Sano who you don't even know has my lamp right now. I'd like to see you try,” Kisumi chuckled.

A high-pitched rocket firework whined into the sky and then exploded into a shower of several other fireworks. Haru had to go. He took his hands off the ledge, as Kisumi pulled his own hand back. Then Haru took a step back and nodded.

“I'm going back. But not because you told me to,” Haru stated.

“Because it's the right thing to do?” said Kisumi, “Stubborn as always, but I'm not going to argue with the results.”

With that, Haru turned and hurried away.

***

The table was overturned at the other side of the room. Makoto trashed about from side to side, ripping into the blanket. Sousuke had offered him the chew toy, but he'd only tossed it aside in his rage. He was too far gone. But the worst part was that he had every awareness of what he was doing. That was why part of Makoto resented the elixir, even if he knew it was for the best. Without it, he'd have no memories of these awful nights, but there was also too much risk that he'd cause harm.

He didn't want to hurt Sousuke...

Sousuke who had been so, so good... He understood. He never flinched or backed away, even when Makoto snapped at him. Up until Makoto's voice had gone completely, he'd sworn all sorts of awful things at Sousuke. Words that he didn't mean to say... But Sousuke never judged. Instead he just stayed there and did everything that he could to help Makoto.

With each new explosion Makoto howled. Why did people do this? It brought them so much enjoyment, but he hated it! He couldn't even remember the time before he was a werewolf, when he might have actually enjoyed fireworks. They're just loud and terrifying!

His ears pinned back. He tossed onto his other side. Sousuke reached out a hand to stroke along his back and Makoto heard himself growl at him, but inside himself, Makoto was glad for the contact. It soothed him as best Sousuke could.

Makoto was too far gone to even hear the door creak open. But he heard the voice.

“I'm here...”

Haru...! Thank goodness!

Makoto looked up at him, whimpering loudly. Haru had left him. Haru was the worst for leaving him. But Haru had come back... Both the canine and human parts of Makoto were satisfied by that.

Another bang from outside. Makoto let out a cry and then Haru joined Sousuke, sitting on Makoto's other side and stroking along his belly. Knowing that both of them were there, Makoto began to calm. His cries turned into whimpers and the whimpers turned into panting.

He saw Haru smirk as Makoto's tail started to knock against the floor from wagging so hard, but he wasn't in any position to tell Haru off.

***

The next morning saw the three of them still in the basement. Makoto was a human again and fully naked, but it was a sight that Haru had seen so many times before anyway. Sousuke would also have to get used to it if he was going to stay here, but it looked like he didn't mind. Both of them were watching Makoto sleep.

“Did last night go okay?” Sousuke asked.

“Yes. It might've been hard to tell, but that was the best fireworks festival we've endured for a long time,” said Haru, “I'm glad to have had you here. Makoto's glad as well.”

“Did you like getting to see the fireworks,” said Sousuke.

“I suppose. But most of the time I just worried about Makoto,” Haru admitted, “Sometimes you can tell yourself you want something, only to find out that what you actually wanted was what you had all along.”

“I'll try to remember that,” Sousuke replied. He reached out a hand to stroke Makoto's hair and Makoto mumbled, but then smiled. Sousuke couldn't take his eyes off him; “Makoto is... not at his best in the mornings. Is he... worse after a full moon?”

“Ten times worse,” Haru confirmed, “You need to have a good breakfast and a strong cup of coffee ready for him before he surfaces. That's the best advice I could give to you. In fact, I'll go get them ready now.”

He got to his feet and stretched. Then he noticed that Sousuke had managed to break his gaze away from Makoto long enough to stare at him instead.

“Thanks for last night,” Haru said.

“Thanks for coming back,” replied Sousuke.

Haru nodded. Then he turned to head out of the basement. What held him back was the sleepy murmuring from Makoto.

“...Don't leave me alone... It's cold...” Makoto whined.

“You're the one that destroyed the blanket,” reminded Haru, “Snuggle Sousuke until I get back.”

“...Can't I snuggle both of you...?”

It was hard to tell if Makoto was being serious or not, but all the same, Haru sat back down. Makoto wrapped an arm around him and Haru knew this was exactly where he wanted to be.

“Just don't complain when you haven't had any coffee,” Haru said.

“I'll get you coffee whenever you like,” countered Sousuke. Was he trying to one-up Haru?

“I know you will, Sousuke. That's why you're my favourite,” Makoto said, stifling a yawn.

“I'm the one who makes you elixirs every other month,” Haru argued.

“And that's why you're my favourite too. I can have two favourites,” assured Makoto.

They curled up together. As Sousuke's arm brushed across Haru's, it made Haru realise that he could have two favourites as well.


End file.
